Oath of Dionysius of Alexandria, as recorded in Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica 6.40.1

Oath of Dionysius of Alexandria, as recorded in Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica 6.40.1

In his letter against Germanus, written c. 260 CE. The oath: ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ λαλῶ, καὶ αὐτὸς οἶδεν εἰ ψεύδομαι… is very similar to that of Gal. 1:20. The "ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ" suggests that Dionysius is responding to similar language used in an accusation made by Germanus, who perhaps used a direct quote from Gal. 1:20 as his formula.

Source: Eusebius Pamphili of Caesarea. 2005. Ecclesiastical History, Books 6–10 (The Fathers of the Church, Volume 29), p.67-68. Translated by Roy J. Deferrari. Reprint (1955). CUA Press.

As for what befell Dionysius, I shall quote from his letter to Germanus, where, while speaking of himself, he relates as follows:

'I, too, speak before God, and He knows whether I lie; I have not taken flight driven in my own interests or without thought of God, but formerly, also, when the persecution under Decius was publicly proclaimed, within that very hour Sabinus sent a frumentarius to search for me, and I remained within my house for four days, expecting the arrival of the frumentarius; but he went about examining everything, the roads, the rivers, the fields, where he suspected I was hiding or going about, but he was smitten with blindness and did not find the house, for he did not believe that I when being pursued was tarrying at home. And after the fourth day, when God bade me depart and miraculously made a way, I and the boys and many of the brethren set out together with difficulty. And that this was the work of the providence of God was shown by subsequent events, in which perhaps we were useful to some.'